On the 25th of July 1978 the field of human infertility was transformed forever when Louise Brown was born in Oldham, United Kingdom – the first ever birth as a result of in-vitro fertilisation. Since these pioneering days it is estimated that more than 4 million births have resulted from the same techniques.
The early pioneer of this treatment was Robert Edwards who made a breakthrough in IVF treatment in 1969 when a human egg was fertilised in a test tube for the first time. For this work he has been awarded the Nobel Committee’s prize for Medicine, 2010.
In the Nobel Committee’s citation, it states that the prize is awarded for, *“the development of human in vitro fertilization (IVF) therapy. His achievements have made it possible to treat infertility, a medical condition afflicting a large proportion of humanity including more than 10% of all couples worldwide.”*
According to the citation, *“Edwards clarified how human eggs mature, how different hormones regulate their maturation, and at which time point the eggs are susceptible to the fertilizing sperm. He also determined the conditions under which sperm is activated and has the capacity to fertilize the egg.”*
Together with Patrick Steptoe who developed new techniques for gathering eggs from ovaries, the pair was the first to get a fertilised egg to divide into 8 cells and then to transfer it back to the mother. Steptoe later died in 1988 unable to see the recognition given to his colleague.
Of course the technology opened up a whole ethical debate that still rages today as the Catholic Church denounces such technology due to the waste of embryos that result from the treatment. A Vatican official, Ignacio Carrasco de Paula, head of the Pontifical Academy for Life, speaking in an unofficial capacity today according to the BBC, said his award was, “completely out of order” and added, “In the best of cases they (embryos) are transferred into a uterus but most probably they will end up abandoned or dead, which is a problem for which the new Nobel prize winner is responsible.”
In this case though the Nobel Committee chose to recognise the positive side of IVF saying, “Louise Brown and several other IVF children have given birth to children themselves; this is probably the best evidence for the safety and success of IVF therapy. Today, Robert Edwards’ vision is a reality and brings joy to infertile people all over the world.”
The prize not only comes with the prestige associated with a Nobel title but also a nice cash amount of 10 million Swedish Kroner, or about 1,078,000 euros.
